Although I am not a predator hunter by regular practice, I found myself interested in fox, coyote and bobcat hunts after their populations seemed to blossom over the last few years.

My old buddy, Beaver Boy, had tried to interest me in the challenge of the trap line business, but I never found the time to learn the skills or to devote the labor required to become a proficient mountain man.

This season was different as I saw many of the predators and the results of their efficient and deadly hunting skills on a regular basis.

It is true that the larger predators have no natural enemies but man, disease and starvation. The highly unlikely odds of pulling a bobcat permit was overcome as we both had secured the coveted hunting permit in the annual lottery drawing conducted by the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

We decided to wait until after deer season to seek out our quarry in the northern tier counties above Interstate 80 so that we could have some tracking snow to aid our efforts.

We apparently have no pull with Mother Nature as we have had one of the mildest winters in recent memory so far. The season for bobcats lasts until the middle of February, but we knew time was running short for our quest. This was the week that we would try in earnest to locate our state's only feline predator, lynx rufus.

The bobcat, also known as the wildcat, red lynx and swamp tiger, is a fierce fighter but isn't a large animal. A full grown male goes up to 35 pounds and is about 36 inches long.

They are mainly nocturnal and have excellent senses of hearing, sight and smell.

Our best chance was to get in contact with a local hunter-trapper in the WMU area we would hunt. We found a husband and wife team that came highly recommended as being knowledgeable about the land and the wildlife.

They were licensed by the PGC as both elk and bobcat guides, and we liked what we were hearing about their hunting area.

We had three options: running a trap line, predator calling at night and running hounds. I didn't rule out any option, as I was open to the entire experience.

Beaver Boy did his own research and came up with some excellent trapping and hunting strategies that were proven in the field.

He had started gathering baits and attractors for weeks and had all the supplies we would need to give the hunt a working chance. I found it interesting that the feathers of game birds often were successful in gaining the attention of the predators. Setting up and trying to call in a predator in the rough terrain would prove to be more of a challenge, due to the nocturnal nature of our prey.

Although bobcats are colorblind, they have large eyes that are well adapted for seeing in the dark. Objects stand out sharply from their background because of the animal's excellent night vision.

I opted to take my turkey gun and loads due to the quick handling and camo effects. Beaver Boy also took a .22 magnum for a bit longer-range opportunities.

As we planned our strategy I realized that this was going to be an intense hunt with lots of walking, making sets and late hours in cold and strange territory.

The plan would be to leave Butler County Thursday after work and spend the night traveling to our destination. It would give us three days to see how our efforts would pay off.

I was hoping the best for Beaver Boy because of his dedication and years of fur taking experience. I was along for the ride, color commentary and my general ability to bring good luck on our hunts.

If we were fortunate enough to harvest a cat, we would be required to check in with the PGC Northwest Region Office and obtain a possession permit for the bobcat. The possession of a Pennsylvania bobcat is highly regulated and the entire process is monitored closely, but we would cross that bridge later.